Americans for gun safety
By Dr. Michael S. Brown
web posted April 29, 2002
An organization calling itself "Americans for Gun Safety"
(www.americansforgunsafety.com) has financed a wave of radio
ads, currently running in selected cities, that claim gun shows are
a source of weapons for foreign terrorists. Listeners are urged to
pressure Congress to fix this allegedly urgent problem.
These radio spots are deceptive political attack ads, like those
we complain about at election time. It takes only a moment's
thought to recall that terrorists have numerous sources of
armaments that are vastly superior in price, quality and selection
to what can be obtained at American gun shows.
Today's real terrorist threat does not even involve guns. Terror
bombers use explosives and hijackers use improvised weapons
like box cutters. We are also concerned with weapons of mass
destruction, which certainly do not come from gun shows.
The strategy behind this strange series of ads can only be
understood by looking at the reality of Americans for Gun Safety
(AGS). The important questions to ask are how many members
have joined this organization, where does their money come
from, and what is their interest in gun safety?
The answer to the first question is easy. There are no members.
AGS is a front organization for billionaire Andrew McKelvey,
who likes to spend his money influencing public opinion.
Choosing an issue to support was probably tough for a rich
urban liberal like Mr. McKelvey. Many liberal issues involve
restrictions on corporations and free markets, not the sort of
thing his high society friends would approve of.
Campaigning for tougher gun laws is the perfect solution.
McKelvey is certainly aware that all the laws he is proposing will
never affect his kind. No self-respecting billionaire would ever be
seen looking for bargains at a gun show with all those icky
working class peasants. No matter how strict gun laws become,
the rich will always have easy access to guns.
Their claimed interest in gun safety is also easy to explain. They
really aren't interested in promoting gun safety at all. Their entire
safety effort appears to consist of some simple advice on their
web site. As far as I can tell, they have not sponsored a single
gun safety or hunter's education class. All of their money goes
into anti-gun advertising, other anti-gun organizations, or to
support political candidates who are cozy with McKelvey.
To better understand the disingenuous nature of this slick
operation, visit their website (americansforgunsafety.org) and
note the prominent opening claim that AGS "supports the rights
of individuals who own firearms for sport, protection, and
collection."
Then view the page labeled "about AGS." Read the list of AGS
priorities to see what they are actually doing. Don't hold your
breath as you search for projects that actually support the rights
of individuals. All you will find is a list of ways they are spending
McKelvey's money in support of more laws to restrict gun rights,
while doing absolutely nothing to defend them.
The basic premise of AGS is therefore a deception. It is simply a
unit of the anti-gun lobby operating under a false flag. There are
logical reasons why the anti-gun lobby has chosen to attack gun
shows. First, they are an easy target. Only a small percentage of
people have attended a gun show, so it is easy to inaccurately
portray them as havens for criminals and terrorists.
Perhaps even more important, gun shows offer fundraising and
outreach opportunities for gun rights organizations. By attacking
gun shows, AGS strikes at the heart of their enemy.
Unfortunately for AGS, attacks on gun shows have lost
momentum since a government study
(www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/fuo.htm) revealed that only
seven tenths of one percent of criminals obtained their guns from
gun shows. This may be why they are stretching the truth in a
desperate attempt to link gun shows with terrorists.
As with all political attack ads, the reality does not match the
rhetoric. And the story behind the ads is more interesting than the
ads themselves. Radio listeners would be well advised to do their
own research and make up their own minds.
Michael S. Brown is a member of Doctors for Sensible Gun
Laws (www.dsgl.org). E-mail him at rkba2000@yahoo.com.
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